"There was a whole Cuban team sat there, looking at me with motionless faces," Frazer Clarke recalls how he shocked one of the world's elite amateur teams with a knockout win over their No 1 heavyweight
Thursday 9 December 2021 06:20, UK
Bloodied faces looked at Frazer Clarke as he left the changing room to complete a brutally one-sided tournament final against Cuba's stellar amateur team.
A formidable British Lionhearts squad featuring this summer's Olympic gold medallist Galal Yafai and current world champion Lawrence Okolie had been decimated by the Cubans in the World Series of Boxing in June 2016.
Clarke was surrounded by subdued team-mates as he went through the final preparations for a closing fight against Olympic Youth Gold medallist Lenier Pero.
"I was in the changing rooms looking around. All I could see was heads down, ice packs on heads, bust noses, bust lips.
"I was sat there getting wrapped up and someone had been stopped, someone had been stopped..."
As the conveyor belt of British defeats continued, Clarke knew he should not follow his beaten team-mates into the ring.
"The night before, I was up all night ill. I ate something dodgy and I was umming and arring about fighting.
"I was talking to my coaches, 'Look, I'm ill!'
"Then when it got to 3-0, I was like, I should just pull out really.
"If one of our guys had won and we got one win, I might have stepped aside, because I was really bad with an upset stomach.
"But when it got to 9-0, the pride side of me came out and I needed to try and do something. Not just for me, but for us as fighters from Britain. For the team."
Pero had punished over 100 amateur opponents and would have viewed Clarke as the latest addition to his lengthy win column.
"I can remember my coach Tony Davis and Gary Hale just saying to me, 'Listen, just stay in the fight, don't go mad at the beginning. He's an awkward southpaw, tricky. Just stay in the fight, you'll be alright.'
"I hit him the round before with a straight right hand and I saw him stiffen up a little bit.
"I went back to the corner, then I just let my hands go and I sunk one into the body.
"I think it was a right hook to the body and I just caught him flush and that was it. I took the wind out of him."
Clarke had inflicted the first stoppage loss of Pero's decorated amateur career.
"That was just a proud one for me. I can remember the feeling.
"There was the whole Cuban team sat there, looking at me with motionless faces. Our team was jumping up, ice packs on heads, arms in slings, bust noses.
"The elation because I got that one victory. It was 9-1 in the end. That was a special moment for me."
Named as Team GB's captain, Clarke justified his role at the Tokyo Games as he returned with a bronze medal.
Pero's younger sibling Dainier was representing Cuba in Japan and they crossed paths, but did not share the ring.
"I saw his brother at the Olympics. I'm sure he was dying to fight me," said Clarke.
"I know everyone in amateur boxing. Every country, every team, everyone knew me. I smile and laugh with everyone, but I walked past this guy and there were no smiles.
"He knew what I did to his brother.
"I can remember walking by with Galal and I said, 'He really don't like me.'
"Galal said: 'I wouldn't, you knocked his brother out.'"
Clarke is now set to launch his professional career next year after signing an exclusive long-term promotional deal with BOXXER.
"I'm going to knock people out, it's as simple as that," he told Sky Sports.
"I'm good enough to knock people, that's what I want to do. I don't want to get in there and fiddle about with people.
"I want to put great events on, I want to be involved in massive nights all over the UK."
